MSNBC’s O’Donnell: Electoral College the ‘Most Grotesque Institution Ever Imposed’ on Democracy

MSNBC anchor Lawrence O’Donnell said Thursday on his show “The Last Word” that the Electoral College was “the most grotesque institution ever imposed on a so-called democracy.”

O’Donnell said, “Today, the most clownish British prime minister of our lifetime announced his humiliating resignation pending the choice of a successor and thereby demonstrated, once again, the superiority of the British parliamentary system over the system chosen by our Founders, who believed they were smarter. And deciding to lock the country into fixed four-year terms, of presidents, who we now know, for partisan reasons, cannot be removed no matter what crimes they are caught committing. The Founders’ obsession to avoid all things British in government led them to the creation of the most grotesque institution ever imposed on a so-called democracy, the Electoral College. The only reason to worry about the fairness of the next presidential election is the Electoral College. Without the Electoral college, no problem. The Electoral College is one of the Founders’ many crimes against democracy.”

He added, “Other crimes against democracy by the Founders include two senators per state, not allowing anyone other than a small percentage of white men to vote, and not allowing anyone to vote for United States senators. The founders were experimenters in democracy. Not true believers in democracy. They were dabblers and democracy. Many of their obstacles to democracy that they put in the Constitution have been removed. Women are now allowed to vote. Black people are allowed to vote. Everyone now, at least, has the right to vote, theoretical right to vote.”

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